Graduating from seminary is exciting. It means that after years of postsecondary education, you’re ready to start your career. However, seminary graduates must make several decisions, and those choices will affect the rest of their life.
While it’s common for seminary graduates to become ordained priests or ministers, there are multiple career options. Completing your postsecondary studies also means relocating, particularly if you moved from your hometown to attend seminary.
Once you graduate, take these steps to ensure you’re headed on the right path.
Choose a Career Path
Your seminary studies can be the foundation for multiple career options. Instead of becoming a church leader, you may opt to use your education as the foundation for a teaching career. Seminary graduates can pursue teaching opportunities at religious and secular schools.
You could also become a postsecondary instructor and teach religious studies to the next generation of seminary students. The U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics (BLS) reports postsecondary philosophy and religious studies instructors should see a seven percent job growth rate from 2019 to 2029. This job growth rate is almost double the four percent job growth rate average for all occupations during the same period.
After seminary, you could also pursue a future as a counselor, journalist, historian, social worker, or non-profit worker. International career opportunities include becoming a missionary, archeologist, diplomat, or humanitarian worker.
Begin applying for positions that align with your career goals. If you begin applying during your last semester of studies, you may be able to have a job waiting for you as soon as you graduate.
Some of these options may require further studies. For example, you’ll need your teacher certification to teach in public schools. That’s why you should identify your career path before relocating to ensure you’ll have access to the postsecondary training you’ll need for your chosen career.
Plan For Your Financial Future
Your financial future doesn’t depend solely on your income. It involves building your credit score, too. People with poor credit pay higher interest rates for loans for vehicles. Having bad credit or no credit can also prevent lenders such as banks and credit unions from approving your application for a mortgage.
One way to build your credit score is by using a credit card, like a Visa or a MasterCard. Apply for the best secure card to build credit. It’s easier to qualify for secured cards than unsecured cards, making secured credit cards a good option for people with no credit history or a low credit score.
The credit card issuer charges an annual fee. Interest rates for some of the best-secured credit cards vary from 14.9 percent to 19.99 percent.
You’re required to make a security deposit for your secured credit card. The security deposit amount is the amount of your credit limit. This deposit protects the lender because they’ll have the deposit to cover losses if you fail to pay your credit card bill.
Making consistent payments on your secured credit card ensures you build a good credit score, which can help you access the funds you need for significant purchases in the future.
In addition to obtaining a credit card and building your credit history, you’ll need to plan to start repaying student loans if you borrowed funds for your post-secondary education.
Most lenders offer students a six-month grace payment. Six months after graduation, you’ll need to start making payments.
Invest in Career Resources and Relocate
Buy resources you need for your chosen career path. For example, if you opt to pursue a career as a journalist, you’ll need a laptop or tablet. You may also need a high-quality camera.
If you opt to pursue a career as a priest, you may opt to buy priest robes. There’s an assortment of pulpit robes, shoulder capes, and cassocks to consider when shopping for religious attire. You can also opt for clergy shirts, which may be a great option when interviewing for positions.
You’ll likely need to move to a new location after you graduate. This could mean returning to your hometown until you find a job, or it could mean moving into shared housing with friends while you search for work.
You may also relocate and begin your new career immediately if you found a position before graduation.
Once you graduate from seminary, you’re ready to launch your career. Identify suitable career options and start applying for positions. Plan for your financial future by building your credit score. You may also need to purchase career supplies and relocate for your new job.
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